When you listen to a great podcast, it feels like magic. A great podcast grabs the listener by the collar and doesn't let go until it's finished. The challenge of creating that kind of magic might seem daunting but it's a lot like the old joke about eating an elephant: It's a lot easier if you approach it one bite at a time. In this chapter, we're going to break down the elements of your podcast and you're going to learn how to use each of the tools at your disposal as effectively as possible.

When
you
listen
to a
great
podcast,
it feels
like
magic.
A great
podcast
grabs
the
listener
by the
collar
and
doesn't
let
go until
it's
finished.
The
challenge
of creating
that
kind
of magic
might
seem
daunting
but
it's
a lot
like
the
old
joke
about
eating
an elephant:
It's
a lot
easier
if you
approach
it one
bite
at a
time.

Some
of the
elements
described
in this
chapter
will
appear
in every
show
you
create.
You'll
use
others
seldom,
if at
all.
That's
okay
but
it's
still
worthwhile
to understand
all
of them.
Think
of these
elements
as tools
in your
podcasting
toolkit.
There
are
plenty
of tools
you
don't
use
every
day
but,
when
that
special
occasion
arises,
there's
nothing
like
having
exactly
the
right
tool.

In
this
chapter,
we're
going
to break
down
the
elements
of your
podcast
and
you're
going
to learn
how
to use
each
of the
tools
at your
disposal
as effectively
as possible.

The
Voice(s)
on Your
Podcast

Podcasting is an audio medium that’s extremely personal. Unlike radio,
which is often listened to in a car or in an office or in some other semi-public
setting, podcasts are almost always listened to by one person at a time. As a
result, you’re communicating with your listener on a one-to-one basis.

But it goes even beyond that. Often, your listener is listening to you on a
portable music player. When you think about it, then, you’re talking right
into your listener’s ear. That’s a very personal way to communicate.
(Think about it! How often—and under what circumstances—do people
talk directly into your ear? It’s a very, very personal method of
communication.)

It stands to reason, then, that the single most important factor in your
podcast’s success is going to be the connection that your listener feels
with the voice he is hearing through his earbuds. For the most part, that voice
is going to be you. In addition to your own voice, you may choose to add one or
more other voices to your show.

In this discussion, when we talk about your voice, we’re not using that
word only in its traditional sense. We’re not just talking about the
quality of the sound that comes out of your mouth when you speak, but
we’re also talking about the personality that’s projected by you and
anyone else who’s on your show regularly. We’re also referring to
the way all those personalities together contribute to the overall feel of the
show.

Your Show Host Persona

There is no question about the fact that—regardless of the content or
format of your show—the role you play as show host will be the single most
important factor in determining whether or not your podcast is successful. There
is no content that is so compelling or unique that it will make up for a show
host who doesn’t connect with the audience. On the other hand, there are
podcasters who connect with their audiences so thoroughly that they’re
able to transcend occasionally mundane content and maintain an audience based on
the sheer force of their personalities. This aspect of connecting with your
audience begins with an understanding of something called persona. For
the purpose of this discussion, we can define persona as the personality or
character that you consistently project to your audience.

Clap for the Wolfman

One of the best known personas in the history of broadcasting belonged to a
radio disk jockey named Bob Smith. If that name isn’t familiar to you, you
might recognize the name under which Bob worked in both radio and television for
decades: Wolfman Jack.

Like all great broadcast personas, Wolfman Jack’s persona was both
carefully crafted and yet extremely natural. And, like all great personas, it
was unique. When you heard the Wolfman for the first time, his delivery cut
through the airwaves like a beacon. It was unmistakable and differentiated him
immediately from every other voice on the radio.

The Wolfman might not be a model for your persona, but you can learn a great
deal about crafting a persona by studying what Bob Smith accomplished. You can
learn more about this late, great, Hall of Fame personality by going to
http://www.wolfmanjack.org
or by renting a copy of American Graffiti the next time you’re at
the video store.

Persona is far more than just your voice or what you say on your podcast,
although both of those things contribute to it. Persona is the aggregate of
several factors, including your

Voice

Attitude

Delivery

Sense of humor

Political perspective

Social perspective

Sense of playfulness

Sense of outrageousness

Energy level

Vocabulary

There are no set rules for formulating a winning persona for your podcast. To
a large extent, your persona is something that will develop over time as you
become comfortable with the podcasting medium.

At this point in the discussion—especially if you have not had the
opportunity to spend much time behind a microphone—there’s a
question that may be floating around in your mind somewhere. If you’re
like many people who hear about this concept for the first time, you may be
thinking to yourself, "I don’t want to develop some sort of phony
persona. I just want to be myself on my podcast. What should I do in that
case?"

This question is certainly not uncommon. It arises from an understandable
tendency to confuse the concepts of playing a role and projecting a persona.

When you play a role, you’re adopting a character and personality that
is not yours. It’s similar in many ways to improvisational acting.
Adopting a character is one way to create a persona, to be sure, but it’s
certainly not the only way nor is it necessarily the best way.

Projecting a persona, on the other hand, is not in any way inconsistent with
being yourself. It does mean that if you’re going to be yourself, you need
to do so in a way that (1) is consistent over time so that members of your
audience get what they expect and (2) clearly projects to your audience through
your medium.

Being consistent doesn’t mean that your tone doesn’t vary from
one show to the next. In fact, it can—and probably should—vary
considerably. One day you might be angry; another day you might be ecstatic.
Those kinds of variations can be distinctly positive. (Keep that in mind as we
discuss predictable unpredictability in a bit.) Consistency means that your
audience can hear your underlying persona no matter what kind of mood
you’re in.

The ability to project is the other significant factor in crafting your
persona. Think of your podcast persona as a music player. If you were to adopt a
character as part of your persona, that would be like changing the song
that’s playing. Projecting your persona, by contrast, is more like just
turning up the volume a little bit. Your listeners won’t engage with a
persona that doesn’t project any more than the people they’re
already talking to every day.

Turning Up The Dial

Projecting your persona might not be something you’ve thought about
before, but the results that come out of a set of speakers or a pair of earbuds
are unmistakable.

Try this experiment: Sit down with a friend and some recording equipment.
Record the results as you speak in a normal, conversational tone. Take no more
than two minutes to tell your friend what your favorite CD is and give two or
three reasons why you like it.

Now, get ready to re-record yourself taking the same two minutes and making
the same two or three points. This time, however, create a mental image for
yourself of an imaginary dial that controls how much you project as you speak.
Turn the dial up about 20 percent, then make your recording. Listen to the two
recordings, one after the other, and the difference will be clear.

If it’s going to be successful, your podcast needs to be engaging and
entertaining. (There’s a reason we refer to each episode as a
"show"!) All of that begins with your persona. What you now know that
many podcasters don’t is that your persona doesn’t develop by
accident.

Do You Need (or Want) a Co-Host?

Your decision about whether or not to have a co-host for your podcast is
entirely subjective; ultimately, there’s no answer that’s
definitively right or wrong.

There are a number of plausible reasons for going it alone:

You may value the flexibility of not having to coordinate with another
person to create a show

Your vision for your podcast may be a very personal one that would not
easily accommodate another personality

Your podcast is specifically designed to promote you as a personality or
some product or service you’re involved with

Your kindergarten report card said, "Does not play well with
others"

On the other hand, there are some great reasons to have a co-host:

Your podcast was conceived as a joint venture with someone you like or
someone with whom you share a business interest

You want to balance a couple of different perspectives

You know someone who can bring some quality or expertise to your podcast
that you can’t provide by yourself

You want to share the workload of regularly producing a podcast with
someone else

If you decide to have a co-host for your podcast, there are a few rules
you’ll want to keep in mind to make the arrangement work as well as
possible for you, your co-host, and—most importantly—for your
listeners.

If Possible, Have Distinctly Different Voices

Ever wonder why so many radio teams are comprised of one male and one female?
This isn’t the only reason or even the most important one, but it
certainly is a significant factor. Keep in mind the fact that your
listener—unlike a television viewer—has no visual cues to
differentiate one voice from the other.

One very popular podcast is hosted by two brothers who sound a great deal
alike. Of course, there’s not a great deal that can be done about it.
After all, brothers do tend to sound alike. Still, the situation can be
confusing to the show’s listeners, especially newer ones who have not
learned over time to distinguish one brother from the other.

Like the situation with these two brothers, you many not have a great deal of
control over this aspect of your show. If you do have control over it, though,
and if you have a choice, pick a co-host who has a voice that is distinctly
unlike yours.

What to Do When Two Voices Sound Alike

Unless you or your co-host is willing to try to adopt a completely different
"on-air" voice (not recommended), your best bet it to get in the habit
of giving your listener cues to differentiate between two similar voices.

The easiest and most effective cue is to use each other’s names as
often as possible. (In fact, whether your voices are similar or not, this is
still a pretty good practice.) Of course, there’s a point at which that
becomes distracting. Precisely where that point lies is a judgment call that
you’ll have to make. In any event, you’ll be doing your listener a
favor if you use names noticeably more often than you’d use them when
you’re not podcasting.

Don’t Talk Over Each Other

This is a variation of the same issue you face when you’re dealing with
two similar voices: Your podcast cannot provide your listener with visual cues
about what’s going on. What might come across on television as an
energetic exchange of views will simply sound garbled on your podcast.

There’s nothing wrong with an energetic exchange of views. The trick to
making that work on your podcast is to simply take turns. It’s not
something that necessarily comes naturally—and it’s easy to forget
in the heat of the moment—but with a little bit of practice, you can
establish the habit of not stepping on each other’s lines.

Assume Distinct Roles in the Podcast

There’s an old adage that says if two people agree about everything,
then one of them is unnecessary. That’s not a bad rule to follow on your
podcasts. In addition, there’s a corollary you can add to the rule: If two
co-hosts are performing the same functions on the show, one of them is
superfluous.

The most engaging co-host pairings generally work in one of two different
ways:

The two hosts are adversarial and disagree about almost everything. The
Fox News pairing of Hannity and Colmes is a perfect example of how this type of
co-hosting arrangement works.

One co-host is somewhat subservient to the other. This co-host functions
not quite as an equal but, instead, acts as a surrogate voice for the listener.
He or she asks the questions a listener might ask and reacts out loud in ways
that a listener might. Think of Robin Quivers and Howard Stern.

Creating distinct roles for each of your podcast’s co-hosts has one
additional benefit. No matter how charismatic you are, chances are you’ll
rub some listeners the wrong way. If your co-host’s role is differentiated
from yours in a meaningful way, you increase the likelihood that any given
listener will be able to find someone on the show with whom he or she can
establish a bond.